


Never One for Celebrations

by AceCavalier



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Baking in the Name of Friendship, Celebrations, Everyone Loves Dedue Because He Deserves It, Friendship, It's Dedue's Birthday!, Surprise Party, ok well it was yesterday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 19:18:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20476202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceCavalier/pseuds/AceCavalier
Summary: Dedue had never been one for celebrations, and his birthday was no exception. When everyone seems to have forgotten, he's honestly relieved, though he can't help but remember the happy celebrations of the past...





	Never One for Celebrations

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Belated Birthday Dedue!  
I love this character, I love (almost all of) his supports, and I wanna spread the Dedue loving hours to AO3. He deserves more appreciation as an excellent character and his birthday was an excellent excuse.
> 
> (Also I should have been in bed an hour ago so this hasn't been reread yet...sorry for any mistakes!)

Dedue had never liked to celebrate his birthday. Even before the events that had brought him to Fhirdiad, and later to the Officers Academy, he had insisted that celebrations be kept to an absolute minimum, much to his sister’s frustration. The attention, the fuss, the fanfare… It simply wasn’t in his nature to enjoy such things. He’d preferred other ways of celebrating; preparing a special meal for dinner, or going with his sister to his favourite spot where the hardy Duscur flowers clung to the last of summer’s sun.

In Fhaergus, there had been no question about the lack of celebration, though Dimitri had often tried to make an effort. On one occasion he had attempted to bake a cake for him, only to create a mess that the two of them had spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up and being berated for. Now, in Garreg Mach, he had seen a number of birthday celebrations from quaint tea time shared among close friends (for Mercedes) to outright feasts that had involved the entire Academy, students and faculty alike (for Claude). Wanting to avoid anything of either nature, Dedue had decided to keep his birthday a secret from his fellow students.

It was a relief of sorts to wake on the 31st of the Verdant Rain Moon and find no hastily wrapped gifts or half-scribbled messages. No one waited on the other side of his door to surprise him, other than one of the monastery’s many stray cats. Dedue offered it a quick scratch under the chin before making his way to Dimitri’s room, knowing the prince would already be awake and waiting for him.

The upper dormitory was silent as Dedue walked quietly to the far end of the corridor. Most students would be savouring their last hour of rest before classes started, but not Dimitri, and not Dedue, either. Even if he hadn’t agreed to train with the prince, Dedue had always been an early riser.

A knock and a moment’s pause before a voice called him in. He opened the door to find Dimitri hastily pulling his boots on, his bed still unmade; at least he hadn’t been wandering around or studying in the library all night.

“Good morning, Your Highness. Did you sleep well?”

Dedue already knew the answer, of course. He had specifically requested that he be given the room directly underneath Dimitri’s, seeing as a room in the upper dormitory was out of the question for someone like him. A particularly light sleeper, Dedue was able to hear when Dimitri’s nightmares woke him with a shout or a scream, or when he took to pacing restlessly in an effort to evade sleep. On those nights Dedue would hurry through the dark to Dimitri’s room and stand watch over him until he managed to fall asleep again, either by choice or from sheer exhaustion. Dedue would then sleep on the floor the rest of the night, and when morning arrived Dimitri would give him an exasperated lecture about sacrificing his own health for the prince’s.

“I did, actually,” Dimitri added, tightening the straps of his boot and standing. “And you?”

“Quite well.”

The training grounds were empty when they arrived, and Dedue was relieved. Though a number of his fellow Blue Lion students treated him as a friend, there were still others, both in his class and outside of it, that would eye him warily, and Dedue preferred to keep away from such gazes, even if he claimed they never bothered him. It was the attention, whether good or bad, that he disliked.

Dimitri was usually focused in his training – one of the few times he ever seemed to truly focus on anything – but today he was distracted, and Dedue could tell. A number of times Dedue landed blows that should have easily been parried, and at one point Dimitri dropped his spear altogether.

“Is everything alright, Your Highness?” Dedue asked, lowering his training axe.

Dimitri looked embarrassed. “Sorry, Dedue, it seems my head is elsewhere. I can’t help but feel I’ve forgotten something terribly important…”

Dedue said nothing. Felt nothing. Part of him had expected to feel disappointed, but instead he felt almost grateful. Perhaps his birthday could pass quietly by after all. They set aside their weapons and met the rest of their class in the dining hall for breakfast, where the group of them chatted happily about what they might learn in the week ahead and what activity the professor had planned for them on the weekend. The professor herself even joined them, looking like she’d only recently gotten out of bed and wearing her usual haphazard combination of clothing and armour.

Sitting between Dimitri and Mercedes, and across from Ashe, Dedue offered contributions about the state of the greenhouse and the first signs of a long winter, and felt the last of his apprehension thaw away. No one knew about or had remembered his birthday. No fuss, no celebrations, no reliving the memories of a life long-gone.

His morning studies were successful, with the professor even offering a rare remark of praise at his results. Before the midday meal was ready, Dedue retreated to the greenhouse and tended to the plants there, paying particularly close attention to the Duscur seedlings he had planted. They would flower over the coming months, and he could barely wait to see their vivid colours and be reminded of the fields back home, where he and his sister would gather the prettiest ones to weave into bracelets and crowns for each other. The tears had long since stopped flowing, but Dedue had to swallow down a welling sadness before he stepped into the dining hall.

Would celebrating his birthday really be such a bad thing? He scarcely felt worthy of being the subject of celebration, but perhaps he owed himself at least one day of happiness. Even if it was a simple cup of tea with Dimitri where he could finally tell him more about his homeland and family. Maybe next year.

Dedue pushed open the door to the dining hall to see the rest of the Blue Lions huddled together at one end of the table. Upon spotting him, Sylvain hurriedly batted Dimitri’s shoulder and they scattered back to their seats. Dedue narrowed his eyes but said nothing, taking a seat at the far end and not looking at any of them.

“Here.” Ashe handed him a bowl of an oddly familiar meal with a surprisingly sweet aroma. “I was on lunch duty, so I tried to make one of those dishes you told me about. What do you think?”

So they must have been discussing Ashe’s cooking, then. Dedue took a mouthful and let the flavours sit on his tongue for a moment. Sweet, yes, but with just the right amount of spice to keep it balanced. He offered Ashe a small smile.

“You’ve done well, Ashe. Thank you.”

Ashe beamed.

The afternoon passed without incident. The class returned to the training grounds where the professor assisted them with their combat skills. Dimitri was, thankfully, more focused this time, and Dedue was able to focus on improving his lance skills without having to worry about the prince getting himself injured. Afterwards, Dedue took the time to organise and repair a number of the weapons before washing himself; by then the sun was beginning to set, and dinner would soon be ready. As he made his way to the dining hall, however, Mercedes intercepted him.

“Dedue! There you are!” Her smile was even brighter than usual. “We’ve been looking for you.”

Dedue frowned. “Oh? Is something amiss? Is His Highness-?”

“Oh, no, Dimitri is fine. Come with me, you’ll see!”

He followed her, bewildered, through the gardens, wondering what on earth could be the purpose of the detour. Had he forgotten some significant event? Was there a class meeting of sorts? Mercedes seemed relaxed, so it surely couldn’t be anything bad…

They rounded a hedged gateway into the tea gardens and Dedue froze.

“_Happy Birthday, Dedue!”_

The entire Blue Lions house, including the professor, was gathered around the conjoined tables at the centre of the courtyard, which had been decorated with wreaths of flowers. On the tables perched trays upon trays of baked sweets and preserved fruits, and he could already smell ginger tea brewing in its pot. Dimitri, standing at the front of the group, was smiling – a genuine, honest smile.

“I’m sorry if we made you feel as though we’d forgotten. I thought you might appreciate a surprise, and I know how much you dislike being fussed over, but I hope this is alright… Dedue?”

Something wet rolled down Dedue’s cheek. A drop of rain perhaps? Another followed it, then one across his other cheek. He raised a hand to his eyes, and realised he was crying. Dimitri’s face fell.

“Oh, Dedue, I’m so sorry, I should have asked if…”

“No, please, I…” Dedue winced at how choked his voice suddenly sounded. “I’m grateful. I’m truly, very grateful, but there was no need to…”

“Of course there was!” piped Ashe. “You do so much for all of us, the least we could do was celebrate your birthday.”

“Exactly!” Mercedes seconded from beside him. “Annette, Ashe and I spent the afternoon baking sweets with spices and flavours from Duscur. You will try some, won’t you?”

Dedue brushed away the tears on his cheeks. When was the last time he had experienced such a warm feeling in his chest? A feeling of welcome, of appreciation, of… _love_. He felt _loved_. And it was, as much as he was afraid to admit it, wonderful. He nodded.

“I… Thank you, all of you.”

Dimitri placed a hand on his shoulder. “We ought to be the ones thanking you, Dedue. You’re a true friend and ally, the best any of us could ask for. Now, if the smell is anything to go by, Mercedes has baked a spiced cake that is simply divine…”

Feeling lighter than air, Dedue let himself be led over to the table, still trying to blink back tears. His home in Duscur may be gone, but perhaps a new home here, among his classmates, wasn’t as far from reality as he had thought.


End file.
